294 THE BOOK OP WHEAT 



Algerian. Russia grows some of the finest macaroni wheats, 

 chiefly known in France as Taganrog, because Taganrog is the 

 principal point of export. Some of the wheats of Italy, the 

 native land of macaroni, are second to none. One of the best 

 varieties is Saragolla wheat. Even the common bread wheats 

 have been quite extensively used, especially in the United 

 States. Such wheat, however, does not produce a high grade 

 macaroni, and this is one of the reasons why the quality of 

 American macaroni has generally been below that of the 

 imported product. Austria has also manufactured a low grade 

 product from bread wheats. 



The Macaroni Industry had its birth in Naples, and before 

 1875 the Italian product had not yet been equaled in any 

 other country. The Neapolitan manufacturers gained their 

 fame on account of the excellent quality of the native wheat. 

 The cultivation of this has long been neglected. In the main, 

 the spread of the macaroni industry seems to have taken place 

 during the last quarter of a century. It developed a great 

 wheat growing industry in Algeria and Tunis. "Semolina" 

 or "Semoule," the coarse flour from which macaroni is man- 

 ufactured, has become an article of commerce beyond mere 

 local trade. Not only has the macaroni industry developed 

 greatly in France and Italy during recent years, but also 

 in the Levant and in many other foreign lands. In 1903 

 France produced about 330,000 pounds of pastes per day, one- 

 third of which was exported, chiefly to the United States, but 

 also to Austria, Germany and Belgium. Italian exports go 

 principally to the South American nations, and to a limited 

 extent to England and the United States. In Japan, macaroni 

 is extensively manufactured and consumed. 



In the United States, the macaroni industry began with the 

 use of bread wheats. During 1900, it became established on a 

 durum wheat basis in North Dakota. From 1896 to 1901, 

 about 15 to 20 million pounds of macaroni, vermicelli and 

 similar preparations were annually imported by the United 

 States. These imports amounted to nearly 30,000,000 pounds 

 and were valued at over $1,000,000 during the fiscal year of 

 1902-3. The very finest quality of Italian macaroni is rarely 

 exported to America, because it retains its quality only a 

 few months, "while the commonly exported article remains 



